Take Two
by shapesintheclouds26
Summary: Jace and Riele share an intimate moment while running lines for Henry Danger. Could a new spark have been lit between the two? I mean, it's just acting. Right?
1. Just Acting

"Cut!" the director yelled when Jace and Riele both burst into laughter.

"Sorry!" they apologized, still laughing. This was the third time this scene was interrupted by the two. A break was then called.

"Jace, you have to stop making that face," Riele said after their laughter had died down. "The whole crew probably hates us right now."

"You're right, you're right," Jace replied as they walked over to his dressing room. "It's just that the scene is so serious! I can't help it."

"It's a serious episode," Riele responded, plopping onto his beanbag chair. "Henry and Charlotte's friendship is at stake." She gaped dramatically.

"I was gonna sit there."  
"Sit on the floor."  
"It's _my_ dressing room, Ri."  
"Well, I'm not moving."  
"Then scoot over."

Before she could, Jace plopped down onto the beanbag, purposefully on top of Riele.

"Jace, get off of me!" She laughed while trying to move away from him. He went on his phone, not budging. After several attempts, the dark-haired girl was finally able to escape. They now sat shoulder to shoulder on the beanbag, their noses in their phones.

"What do you mean 'at stake'?" Jace asked, addressing what she had said earlier.

"They might not be friends anymore."  
"Why do you say that?"  
"Because Henry likes her!" She said as if the answer was obvious. The blonde furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"I still don't see how that means their friendship is at stake," he said.

"Henry liking Charlotte can damage their friendship. What if she doesn't like him back?"

"Well, I mean, why wouldn't she? Henry's a pretty good-looking guy." Jace ran a hand through his hair at this, making Riele laugh.

"Or even if she does, what if they break up?" Riele asked.

"They'll go back to being friends?"  
"No, you idiot. It'd be awkward as hell."  
"Awkward how? They've been best friends forever. I'm sure a relationship wouldn't set everything off."  
"Oh really? How are things with you and Isabela?" Jace shuffled at this, scratching the back of his neck. She may have went a little over the line, but she had a point.

Jace and Isabela had broken up about a month ago, although it was made official in the media just this past week. It was a mutual split; the two had been noticeably drifting apart and finally decided to call it quits. He was hurt at first, as would any teenage boy would be after a good relationship. But they had their run, he believed, and they were both happy. Isabela had said in an interview that they were still friends, which is true, but they don't keep in touch that often. The connection they once had was just gone.

"I get what you mean," the blonde answered. "But I think Henry and Charlotte's friendship is strong and a measly breakup won't set them apart." She shrugged.

"Oh, c'mon, she wouldn't want to get rid of _me._ " He leaned his head on her shoulder and grinned cheekily up at her. She chuckled.

"I wouldn't blame her if she did," she said. Jace dramatically placed a hand to his heart, faking hurt. She laughed.

"Five minutes!" announced the intercom.

"C'mon, let's run these lines." Riele got up, dragging Jace up with her.

"Okay, Charlotte," he joked. He cleared his throat before reading the line on his script.

"Charlotte, you're not coming."  
"Yes, I am."  
"You could get hurt."  
"So could you." Henry raised his hands in the air in frustration, then ran them through this hair.

"I'm Kid Danger. I have to go."  
"And I'm Kid Danger's best friend." Charlotte sternly looked into his eyes, determined to not leave his side.

"But what if something happens to you?"  
"I could ask the same about you, Henry." She took a step towards him. Henry shut his eyes tightly, shaking his head.

"Charlotte, if anything happens-"  
"Nothing will happen."  
"How do you know?" He took a step towards her, almost closing the space between them.

"'Cause you'll be there." She looked sincerely into his eyes. "And I won't let anything happen to you either."

Jace stared down at the dark-haired girl just inches away him. He felt a new electricity between them that he hadn't felt before. His heart rate quickened, and he kept looking back and forth from her eyes to her lips.

"Back to set!"

"Good job, Jace!" Riele told him. "Didn't make me laugh this time." She smiled at him before walking out the door. For a moment, the blonde just stood there, still thinking about his emotions just a moment before. He didn't know whether he was relieved or disappointed their moment was interrupted. _Would I have kissed her?_ the actor thought to himself. He ran a hand through his hair. He shook his head. _We were just acting. Right?_

"Coming?" Riele asked, popping her head into the doorframe of Jace's dressing room. He nodded.

"Right behind you."

* * *

 **A new multi-chap! I decided to do a JacexRiele one this time. I just love the chemistry these two have behind the scenes. Btw, what do you think about the Jace/Isabela breakup? :O Lemme know in the comments, I want to talk about it lol. Thanks for reading! New chapter up soon :)**


	2. Late Nights

"That's a wrap! Dismissed," called the director.

It was 2:47am. The first half of an upcoming episode of Henry Danger was just shot and everyone on set was tired.

"Hey," Riele yawned while walking over to Jace off set, giving him a weak high-five.

"Someone's tired," the blonde teased, fighting back an incoming yawn. She glared at him.

"Like you're not," she retaliated, walking over to a nearby couch.

"Alright, we should go, 'cause once you hit that couch, you're going to-"

Riele curled up onto the couch and shut her eyes.

"Riele," Jace whined. "We have to leave. They're going to close up set soon."

"Five minutes," she said sleepily.

"C'mon, you can crash at my place. That way we can both come back to set together tomorrow," Jace offered.

"Sounds good." She turned over. Jace groaned.

"Ri, you gotta get up." She didn't budge. Jace sighed.

"Great." The blonde hooked an arm under the petite girl's knees and another under her back, scooping her up into his arms. He started walking to his dressing room. Riele slipped her arms around Jace's neck, snuggling up to his chest.

"Thanks, Jace." She hummed in content, a small smile forming on her face. Jace looked down to admire the girl in his arms, smiling to himself. She yawned.

"Take a picture, Norman, it'll last longer," she said, her eyes still closed. He rolled his eyes.

"How do you still manage to be a smartass half-awake?" he asked. She laughed, more awake now.

"It's a talent." She smirked, causing Jace to roll his eyes again, and the blonde set her down.

"Go get your bag or whatever and meet me outside the studio in five," he told her, even though she was already walking away to her own dressing room.

"Got it, Mom," she called. Rolling his eyes again, he couldn't help but smile at Riele's sassy remarks. Shaking his head, he went into his dressing room. _All the Henry and Charlotte scenes we filmed today must be getting to my head,_ he thought.

Jace changed out of Henry's dark jeans and long-sleeve tee into a pair of gray joggers and his black Nike hoodie, along with his moccasin slippers. He ran a hand through his blonde hair in a failed attempt to tame the wild mess that was on his head. Then he swung his gym bag that he brought to and from set over one shoulder and headed outside.

Meanwhile in Riele's dressing room, she was wiping off her makeup and tying her curly hair up. After changing out of Charlotte's jeans and t-shirt, she threw on an oversized tee and a pair of black leggings. Slipping on her moccasins and a large cardigan, she grabbed her purse and walked outside to meet Jace.

"Okay, that probably took a year and a half," Jace exaggerated when she finally met him in the parking lot.

"Oh, please, give me a break," she said while stepping into his car. "I have twice as many things to do than you."

Right after Jace turned sixteen, he jumped at the chance to get his license. After several attempts, he finally got it about a month ago. It took a while for Riele to let him drive her around, since she feared for her life when it was in the hands of Jace Norman. But gradually, she got used to it. When you spend almost every waking hour with one person, you learn to trust them.

Jace started the car and they pulled out of the studio parking lot.

"Want to get something to eat?" he asked.

"At three in the morning?"  
"Why not?" Riele shrugged at this.

"Dairy Queen?" she suggested. The blonde agreed.

* * *

The two reached Jace's place with their ice cream by 3:30am.

"This was a bad idea," Riele said while laughing and licking her ice cream.

"Why?" Jace asked while taking out his keys.  
"A sugar rush, Jace? It's almost four in the morning and we have to be up in four hours!" They burst out laughing.

"Yeah, you're probably right," he opened the door to his house and switched on the lights.

"Wait, are your parents home? We can't wake them up!" Riele whispered.

"No, they're not home," Jace said. They're out for their anniversary and Xander's out at a friend's house."

"Oh, phew," Riele said out loud. Jace chuckled and dropped his gym bag beside the couch. Riele did the same with her purse and headed over to the kitchen.

"Did you do this?" she asked, looking at the pile of dirty dishes in his sink.

"Did what?" Jace asked absentmindedly while searching for an iced tea in his refrigerator.

"Not clean the dishes," she responded while turning on the sink.

"You don't have to do that, Ri," Jace said while walking over to her.

"Someone's going to have to do it," she replied. "And you're going to help me."

"What? Come on, it's late. We should be going to bed."  
"And I won't be able to sleep with these messy dishes in the sink."  
"You're ridiculous."  
"And you're a slob." Jace groaned, picking up a sponge to help her wash the dishes.

"Good boy," Riele said teasingly, bumping him with her hip. He did the same, and the two started laughing.

* * *

"See, that wasn't so hard," Riele said after placing the last plate into the dishwasher.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Jace flicked her face with water. She stood stiffly with her nose scrunched up as he laughed at her. She dried her face with a towel.

"Alright, it's-" Jace checked the time on his phone. "Almost 4am and way past your bedtime." She scoffed while grabbing her purse and following the blonde up the stairs to his room.

"I'm just gonna take a quick shower- Riele!"  
"Early bird gets the warm!" she called from his bathroom.  
"It's _my_ house, Ri!"  
"You snooze, you lose!"  
"I wasn't even sleeping!"  
"Don't hate the player, hate the game!"  
"I'm going to kill you." Jace groaned and laid back onto his bed as Riele laughed.

A few minutes later, Riele came out of Jace's bathroom in a different black oversized tee shirt and plaid pajama shorts. She walked over and plopped onto the right side of the bed, sending waves of her berry-scented body wash towards Jace.

"Enjoy my proverbs?" the dark-haired girl asked. Jace rolled his eyes as she laughed.

"I couldn't find the sleeping bag, I think Xander might've taken it," he said.

"It's okay," she replied.

"You don't mind staying in the same bed?"  
"Should I?"  
"Well, no."  
"As long as you took your cootie shots." Riele warned as he walked into the shower.

After washing his body and changing into a comfier pair of plaid pajama pants and a long-sleeved gray shirt, Jace went into bed beside Riele. She laid under the covers, scrolling through her phone.

"Whatcha doin'?" Jace asked while getting under the covers and laying his head on her shoulder.

"Scrolling through Instagram," she replied, not glancing from her phone. "Did you see this?" Riele showed Jace a picture Isabela had posted with Griffin. Jace shrugged.

"She tagged you."  
"What?"  
"Mhm."  
"Let me see."

Sure enough, jacenorman7 was tagged in the background.

"Why would she tag me?" Jace asked, scratching the back of his neck.

"I don't know," she replied. "Maybe she's petty."

"Should I be concerned?"  
"Not really. We can subtly retaliate, though."  
"How?"

Riele took Jace's phone from his hand. Opening up his camera and flipping the lens to take a selfie, she laid her head on Jace's shoulder.

"You're devious, Ri."  
"I know." She grinned up at him.

"Wait, hold that. You look cute," Jace said while taking back his phone. He snapped a picture while she grinned up at him and he smiled down at her, Riele still on his shoulder.

"Now I know why you're such a heartthrob," she said, squinting up at him. He laughed.

"What? I'm a heartthrob?"  
"Mhm. It's your eyes." Jace crossed his eyes, causing Riele to giggle.

Jace looked at the picture on his phone and he couldn't help but smile. He added the sleep and heart-eye emojis for the caption and posted it. He turned around to see Riele laying down, her eyes shut.

"Night Riele," he whispered as he leaned over to turn off the lamp on his bedside table. He laid down, pulling the blankets over them.

"Night."

* * *

 **Chapter 2! Sorry this was kinda all over the place, I'm just trying to get in a lot of Jace/Riele moments to build up their relationship.**

 **No hate to Isabela Moner! I know the part about her being petty may seem demeaning towards her, but I completely respect her and have nothing against her. It just fit the story's part pretty well.**

 **I kinda hope to see Jace and Riele getting closer and posting more pics together now, I just think they'd be really cute together. The one I made up in the story would be really adorable if it actually happened. xD**

 **Thanks for reading! Updating soon :)**


	3. New Encounters

Jace's eyes fluttered open. He looked down to see a sleeping Riele against his chest and smiled. Rubbing his eyes, he looked around his room to see it was bright as day. His eyes widened as he checked the time on his phone.

8:48.

 _Dammit,_ he thought. He nudged Riele, trying to wake her up gently. She groaned in her sleep, turning away from Jace.

"Riele, wake up," he said softly.

"Five minutes..."  
"It's 8:48."  
"What?!" Riele immediately shot up. "Why didn't you set an alarm?" She jumped out of bed, grabbing her bag and running into the bathroom.

"I forgot?" he replied, getting up as well.  
"They're going to kill us!"  
"Not _kill_ us, Ri. Fire us, maybe."  
"Oh my God!"

A minute later, Riele was out of the bathroom, having brushed her teeth, splashing her face with water and throwing a black tank top on and some denim shorts.

"I'm borrowing a shirt," she called while opening his closet. Jace just shrugged and went into the bathroom. A minute later he was out and changed into his joggers.

He was met with his costar hurriedly throwing over his dark green flannel and tying the bottom of it up to her waist. He couldn't help but stare at her. Riele wearing his clothes sent a warm feeling through him, casting a smile upon his face.

"What?" she asked when she turned around.  
"Huh? Oh, n-nothing," he stuttered.  
"Then let's go!"

Jace grabbed his keys and the two flew out the door.

* * *

"Lunch!"

Everyone shuffled off set. Riele craned her neck to try and find Jace, but her height (or lack there of), led to no luck. Suddenly, she felt a pair of hands cover her eyes from behind. She laughed as she felt her cheeks grow warm from his touch.

"You're so cheesy," she said while pulling his hands from her face and turning around to see her blonde friend.

"You're so short," Jace noted. She glared at him.

"I'm aware."

"Back to set in two hours!" shouted Nathan.

"So where do you want to go for lunch?" Jace asked as the two walked out of the studio.

"You pick," she replied simply, stepping into his car. Jace grinned.

As he started driving, Riele connected her phone to the Bluetooth speaker in his car and selected _Broccoli_ by D.R.A.M. from her playlist.

" _Ain't no tellin' what I'm finna_ ," they sang. " _Be on!_ " They burst out laughing.

Riele turned to watch and laugh at Jace as he goofily bopped to the beat behind the wheel. She pulled out her phone to record him, causing him to perform a whole show.

"Wow, Jace," Riele teased as she posted the video to Snapchat. "Didn't know you had that you."

"Thank you, I try." Soon, a more relaxed song came on, and the two sat in comfortable silence.

Riele looked over to the blonde beside her. She admired the dark sunglasses on his face and the way his lips were slightly tugged into that cute little smile of his. She noticed how his shirt sleeve was rolled up to his elbows, exposing his toned arm. She watched as he involuntarily ran a hand through his hair, making it messy but just messy enough so that it only fit _Jace_ and for some reason messy hair was just so attractive on him.

She couldn't help but smile.

"Like what you see?" Jace asked suddenly, peeking at her from the side of his sunglasses. Riele instantly looked away and out the window, feeling her cheeks grow warm again and refusing to let Jace see her blush because she knew she'd never hear the end of it.

"Pipe yourself down, Jace, your ego is getting in the way of reality," she retorted. She heard him chuckle.

"Where are we going, anyway?" she asked, trying to change the subject.

"We areeee," Jace said while dragging out the word and pulling into a parking lot. "Here."

Riele looked up to see that they were outside of her favorite café in L.A. Her jaw dropped in surprise.

"You know me so well." She jumped out of the car. Jace laughed and shook his head before following her into the restaurant.

Already in line, the two contemplated on what to order.

"Should I get the grilled cheese sandwich or mac n' cheese?" Riele asked.

"Uh, I don't know, whichever you prefer?" he answered. She glared at him.

"You're so helpful, Jace."  
"I know, right?" She rolled her eyes.

"What do you want?" she asked.  
"The mac n' cheese."  
"Okay, I'll get the sandwich and just steal some off your plate." She grinned cheekily at him.

The two ordered their food and sat by a table nearby. They scrolled through their phones as they waited.

"Whoa, Jace, did you check your Instagram?" Riele asked suddenly while looking at her phone.

"No, why?"  
She showed him the photo he had posted yesterday. There were over 200k likes on it and counting.

"Damn," Jace said, taking Riele's phone.

"Your fans love me more than you," she joked.

"Actually, I think they love _us,_ " Jace said while scrolling through the comments. They were flooded with "#jaele" and "are you guys dating?"

The waitress then came, their plates of food in her hands. The two thanked her, and Riele took a bite of her sandwich the second she left. Jace chuckled.

"What?" she asked with her mouth full. "I didn't eat breakfast, okay?"

"Neither did I," he replied.

Just then, Isabela walked in. Riele widened her eyes, trying to signal Jace what was going on without telling him. He failed to look up from his mac n' cheese. She rolled her eyes, then kicked his shin from underneath the table.

"Ow! Riele, what the-" he started. She widened his eyes at him, then nodded behind him. Before he could turn around, she kicked him again.

"What?" he whispered, rubbing his shin.

"Be subtle." He rolled his eyes. Still, he pretended to drop a napkin behind him, then turned around to pick it up. Sure enough, his ex girlfriend was there, waiting in line with Griffin on her arm.

"Great," he said sarcastically when he turned back around. "Do you think she saw the picture of us?"

"Maybe," Riele said. "But she should see this one. Here," she handed him his phone. Jace smirked before pulling up his camera.

"Pose," he joked. Riele laid the back of her left hand underneath her chin in a ""grace face" pose and looked to the ceiling, causing Jace to laugh.

"Take it," she said while laughing but not moving from her pose. "I'm supposed to be your beautiful date."

"My pleasure." Jace grabbed her free hand from across the table, ignoring the spark he felt go down his arm as soon as he touched her.

"Ooh, a gentleman!" Riele exclaimed. "Good one." They laughed after Jace snapped a picture. He typed " _my date_ :)" ️for the caption before posting it. Suddenly, Riele burst into laughter.

"What?" Jace asked.

"She left!"  
"Really?" He looked around the restaurant.  
"Yup." They both started laughing.

"We're horrible. We have to stop teasing the fans," Riele mentioned.

"Oh, please, they love it," he replied. The two joked and laughed for the rest of the time until they finished their food.

"Okay, we should be heading back now," Jace started, getting up. He stood next to her and offered his hand.

"You know she's not here, right?" Riele asked him, talking about Isabela.

"I know." He stuck his hand out further towards her. Riele looked at him confused, hesitantly taking his hand and getting up. Jace moved his fingers so they would intertwine with hers.

Riele's heart started racing so fast she worried he could feel it in her pulse.

Jace smiled down at their hands, causing Riele to blush.

"Let's go," he said softly, looking down at her.

"You're such a dork."

The two walked out of the restaurant hand in hand.

* * *

 **Chapter 3! Sorry for the wait!**

 **Yay more Jaele lol. I promise things will start to stir up soon. I'm taking this story slow, I want it to be longer and not as rushed as my first multi-chap.**

 **Thanks for the feedback! I really do appreciate all the comments. :)**

 **Updating soon! Thanks for reading :)**


	4. Sudden Realizations

Riele sat cross-legged on the floor of her dressing room, her nose in her phone. Rehearsal had just ended, and they were off from work tomorrow. She twiddled her thumbs on the screen, texting her mom about when she'll be coming home. Just then, she heard a knock on the door.

"I'm entering," Jace announced.  
"Yes, please come in, it's not like privacy exists anymore," Riele said sarcastically. The blonde chuckled as he went to sit down beside her.

"Whatcha doin'?" he asked goofily, pressing his cheek against her shoulder.

"Texting my mom to pick me up," she replied, not looking up from her phone.

"Why?"  
"So I can go home?"  
"It's a Friday night and you want to go home?"  
"I mean, I don't really have any plans, so-"  
"Nope, now you do, come on." Jace stood up abruptly, grabbing Riele's arm and dragging her out the door.

"Wait, Jace! Let me tell my mom!" Riele exclaimed, trying to keep up with the blonde.

* * *

"Where are we even going?" Riele asked when they got into Jace's car and he started to drive.

"We're meeting Sean, Ella and the others at the mall," Jace replied.

"The others?"  
"Uh..."  
"Isabela's going to be there, isn't she?" The blonde scratched the back of his neck. Riele rolled her eyes.

"What about Griffin?" Riele asked.  
"Yup."  
"And why are _we_ going?"  
"Everyone's going. Maeve and Owen should be there, too, and Tom. I didn't want to be the one who didn't show up," Jace explained. Riele sighed.

"Alright, why not? Could be fun," Riele reasoned. She couldn't help but feel doubtful. Jace would probably act like they're dating the entire night just to make Isabela jealous. She sighed.

Earlier that day during lunch, she felt something different. When his hand reached across the table to hold hers, when they walked out of the restaurant with their hands laced together, it felt different.

It felt real.

And it pained her.

She knew that anything romantic that had happened between the two lately was solely to make his ex-girlfriend jealous, and she kept trying to tell herself that.

"You're the best," Jace said, smiling at her.

But she couldn't stop the way her heart started to race whenever the blonde did anything remotely sweet or attractive or just wonderfully _Jace_ in his own being. She couldn't stop the way he could instantly make her grin from ear to ear even at her worst times, and she couldn't stop the fact that she was falling for him.

The rest of the way to the mall was pretty quiet. Riele decided that if Ella was there, she was going to spend most of her time with her and away from any Jace and Isabela drama. The two had some catching up to do, anyway.

* * *

Jace and Riele met the gang at the food court. They were sitting around two tables. Isabela and Griffin sat close to each other, and so did Maeve and Owen. Riele let out a breath of relief when she spotted Ella.

"Riele!" she called, waving her over. The two best friends hugged before sitting down beside each other. Jace took a seat next to Riele.

"What's up, Jace?" Sean asked, the two doing their handshake.

"Not much." He placed his arm along the back of Riele's chair. Riele noticed Isabela looking at her, then shuffled in her seat awkwardly.

"So, when did _you two_ become a thing?" she asked, leaning forward onto the table. Jace and Riele looked at each other.

"Well," Jace started.

"We're not a thing," Riele interrupted the blonde, giving him a stern look.

"Oh, my bad," Isabela said, leaning back into her chair and placing her head on Griffin's shoulder. Jace sighed.

"Anyway, you all should totally come to my party tomorrow night!" the brunette exclaimed.

"Party?" Ella asked.

"Yep! For my movie that's about to come out! It's going to be at my house, and I want you all to be there." She looked at Jace when she said this, a smile on her face.

"Uh," he started, scratching the back of his neck. "I don't know..."

"Oh, it wouldn't be _awkward,_ would it, Jace?" Isabela asked him, placing a hand on Griffin's chest. Riele rolled her eyes.

"No," Riele spoke for him. "Not at all. Jace, I'll be your date." The blonde grinned while his ex glared at her. The two may not be together, but one date couldn't hurt.

Right?

The tension was building up around the table, before Ella abruptly stood up.

"Okay, uh, Riele! Come to _Forever 21_ with me, so I can find a dress for tomorrow," she said, taking the dark-haired girl's hand and dragging her away from the table.

"What is going on?" Ella asked when they got out of earshot from the others.

"What do you mean?" Riele replied, looking through the clothing racks of _Forever 21._ Ella raised her eyebrows.

"Alright, alright," Riele sighed. She explained how Jace and Isabela had recently broke up, and all the drama around her Instagram and trying to make her jealous.

"Wow," Ella responded after Riele explained the situation. "So that's why you and Jace have been acting all couple-y. I thought you were going out."

"Nah," Riele replied while absentmindedly picking out clothes from the racks.

"So you don't like him?" Ella asked.

"Hmm?"  
"Do you have feelings for Jace?" Riele looked away, then pulled a dress from the rack in front of her.

"Hey, this dress would look so cute on you!" she exclaimed, trying to change the subject. Ella narrowed her eyes at her, crossing her arms in front of her chest.

"Riele." The dark-haired girl sighed.

"I don't know," Riele finally responded. "Maybe?" Ella squealed.

"Shh! We're in public!" Riele whispered. Ella continued to hop in joy, grinning from ear to ear.

"I knew it!" she exclaimed. Riele looked down and smiled.

"Are you going to tell him?" Ella asked.

"No way!" Riele responded. "I know for a fact that he doesn't like me. Anything he's done with me was just to make Isabela jealous." Riele went back to sorting through the clothing racks, then pulled out a dark purple dress.

"How would this look on me?" she asked, holding it up in front of her. Ella yanked the dress from her and placed it back on the racks.

"Hey!" Riele said.

"Anyone with _eyes_ could see that Jace likes you," Ella said matter-of-factly. Riele shrugged.

"I doubt it. I'm nothing like Isabela. Why would he-"

"I'm going to hit you if you ever compare yourself to Isabela, or anyone actually, ever again," Ella spoke. Riele widened her eyes.

"But-"  
"Up!"  
"I just-"  
"Ahp!"  
"Ella-"  
"Shut up." Riele rolled her eyes.

"You really think he likes _me?_ " Riele asked doubtfully.

"And _you_ really think he doesn't?" Riele pondered for a moment.

"Well, there was this one time he held my hand, and Isabela wasn't anywhere around," Riele mentioned.

"See!" Ella exclaimed. "Now why would he do that if he didn't have feelings for you?" Riele stayed quiet.  
"So," Ella spoke when she didn't reply. "You're going to tell him, and he's going to kiss you, and blah blah blah, happily ever after." She grinned. Riele raised her eyebrows.

"That is highly unlikely," Riele replied, going back to the rack in front of her.

"Riele, you'll never know unless you try! I mean, what's the worst that could happen?" Ella asked.

"Uh, he could reject me, it could ruin our friendship-"

"Oh, please," Ella interrupted. "Come on, Riele! Tell him tomorrow at Isabela's party! You're his date-"

"To help him make Isabela jealous-"

"But he wants to be there with _you!_ " Ella exclaimed. Riele shrugged.

"Come on, Ri." The dark-haired girl sighed.

"Fine," she mumbled. "I'll tell him."

"Yay!" Ella cheered before Riele shushed her. She cheered again in a whisper, causing Riele to laugh.

"Well, come on then! Let's find you a dress!" Ella said before dragging Riele to the dresses section of the store. Riele shook her head.

What had she gotten herself into?

* * *

 **Chapter 4! Sorry for the wait! It's been a busy past few days lol.**

 **Finally we have some conflict going. Don't worry, more of Jace/Riele in the next chapter. This was more of a chapter for Riele and realizing her feelings.**

 **To the guest who commented under the name Mimi, this story is on Wattpad! All stories uploaded here are also on my Wattpad profile. My username on that site is the same as it is here, shapesintheclouds26. :)**

 **I'd just like to thank you for all the wonderful feedback about this story and even some of my others. I am still pretty new to this site and I couldn't have felt more welcomed. You all are so kind and I appreciate all your reviews. Even if you just read my stories, it means a lot to me. So thank you.** ❤️ **Also, Happy Thanksgiving!**

 **As always, thanks for reading! :)**


	5. The Night Ahead

"How's this?"

Jace stood in front of his mirror, running a hand through his hair. He wore a dark-red button-down shirt and a pair of black skinny jeans, along with some black Jordan's and a silver watch strapped to his wrist.

"Great," Sean replied halfheartedly as he stood next to him, straightening his blazer. The curly-haired blonde wore a blue button-down with a black blazer over it, along with some black slacks and dress shoes. The two were getting ready for Isabela's party at Jace's house. Everyone was supposed to dress "classy", which she made note of probably a dozen times, including on every invitation.

"What's wrong?" Jace asked, turning to face him.

"Oh, nothing," Sean replied simply, going over to sit on Jace's bed. "Just going dateless, as usual." Jace chuckled, going over to sit by him.

"You don't have a date?"  
"No."  
"Why not?"  
"Well, when your only two costars date each other, it's a little hard to find a date."

"Oh," Jace replied, surprised at his best friend's words.

"We're not dating, though," he said after a while. "She's just my, well, date." Jace scratched the back of his neck when Sean narrowed his eyes at him.

"So you're not dating your date, is what you're saying," Sean said.  
"Yes?"  
"You're ridiculous." Jace sighed.

"It's complicated," the blonde responded. "We've been pretending to date the past few days to make Isabela jealous."

"Why?"  
"Because- actually, I don't really know. I mean, Isabela started it when she tagged me in a photo with Griffin. I was just retaliating." Jace shrugged.

"So, you and Riele don't really like each other," Sean stated.

"Uh," Jace started. Sean raised his eyebrows. "I mean, no- no, we don't like each other." The blonde shook his head. "You're confusing me, Sean!"

"I can say the same about you," Sean retorted. Jace groaned and leaned back onto his bed.

While Jace believed he and Riele were just trying to make Isabela jealous, he couldn't get the events from the day he and Riele ran lines for _Henry Danger_ to stop replaying in his head.

At that moment, he felt as if time had stopped and that he and Riele were the only two people on the planet. Isabela didn't matter, Griffin didn't matter, not even their characters, Henry and Charlotte. Jace sighed.

"I almost kissed Riele." Sean fell back onto the bed and faced him.

"You _what_? Almost?" asked Sean.

"Yup. Almost."  
"What happened?"  
"Nathan called us back to set." Sean mumbled a swear, causing Jace to chuckle.

"Well, damn," he replied. "So you _do_ like Riele." Jace didn't respond.

Yes, Jace could admit that in that moment, he liked Riele. But what was going to happen, didn't. And he took that as a sign.

The past few days with Riele were just to make Isabela jealous. It was Riele's idea, for God's sake. That, plus the fact that she barely reacted when he almost kissed her. _Had she even thought about it?_ the blonde thought. That just told him that he was taking things with Riele way out of context. There was no way she liked him back.

And Jace just couldn't handle the rejection.

"No," he lied.  
"But you just-"

"I don't like Riele." Jace stood up, straightening out his shirt.

"It was all in the heat of the moment," he continued. "It didn't happen, so it wasn't supposed to happen. We're just trying to make Isabela jealous. And who knows? Maybe it'll work and we'll get back together."

"Whoa, hold up," Sean said, getting up. "You _want_ to get back together with Bela? I thought you hated her."

"I never said I hated her," Jace replied. "We just didn't work out. But things have changed. Maybe we can try it out again." Sean shook his head.

"Do you hear yourself right now? It's like you changed personas in a matter of minutes," he told him. Jace shrugged, checking his watch.

"C'mon, we should get going," Jace said, changing the subject. "Let's go pick up Riele and Ella and we can head to Bela's party." Sean shook his head.

"Alright," he finally agreed, following him out the door. "Just, make sure you know what you're doing, Jace."

"Me? Aren't you the one dateless?" the blonde teased as Sean punched his shoulder.

"I think I'm good. The date life sounds like a pretty confusing one to me," the curly-haired boy replied.

"Don't worry. We'll find you one at the party."

* * *

"Which earrings?" Riele asked Ella, tucking her hair behind her ears. Ella turned to her and gawked.

"You look gorgeous, Ri," she said. Riele smiled. "And the silver studs."

The dark-haired girl had straightened her hair and had it in a half-up half-down style. She wore a maroon-colored lace dress, with sleeves that reached just past her elbows and the hem reaching just above her knees. She wore mascara and winged eyeliner as makeup, along with a highlight across her temples and auburn-red matte lipstick.

"Thanks, El, but look at you!" she responded. Ella grinned. The young girl wore a knee-length, sleeveless, lavender-colored dress that cinched at the waist and contained sequins along the collar. Her blonde hair was down and curled, flowing past her shoulders. Her makeup remained simple and similar to Riele's, except she wore a light pink matte lipstick instead.

"Thanks," she replied. "Are you ready to confess your love to Jace tonight?" she asked out of the blue, causing Riele to stop in motion.

"I was hoping you'd forgotten about that," she answered.

"Aw, come on, Ri! It'll be fine. If you wait around the bush, you could let him slip right through your fingers," Ella noted. Riele nodded slightly. She did have a point there. If she didn't act upon her feelings soon, Jace would just go after the next girl he sees.

"And if in the rare case where something _does_ go wrong, I'll be right by your side as always," Ella assured her. This made Riele smile, and the two hugged.

"Thank you, Ella," Riele said. Just then, the doorbell rang.

Riele took one last look at herself in the mirror. Tonight was the night where everything would change.

She just wasn't exactly sure in what way.

"I just hope tonight goes well," Riele muttered to herself before following Ella down the stairs. She opened the door to reveal Jace and Sean all dressed up and ready.

"Aw, look at you two!" Ella greeted them. "You guys look great."

"So do you," Jace said. Sean agreed. Jace looked up to see Riele slipping on a pair of black-heeled ankle boots, before the two made eye contact. She looked to see her best friend and almost stumbled off her own two feet.

"Hi," Jace breathed. Riele felt a blush form across her cheeks.

"Hi."  
"You look beautiful." _I swear, one more thing and my face will literally match the color of my dress,_ she thought.

"So do you." Jace chuckled. "I mean, well, handsome, I don't know, you know what I mean!" she let out before punching his shoulder. He laughed.

"Hey, you guys practically match!" Ella noted.

"Well, would you look at that! What a coincidence," Sean said, giving Jace a look. The blonde rolled his eyes in response.

"Alright, come on guys, the limo's waiting outside," Jace said. Ella and Sean left first, leaving him with Riele.

"My lady," Jace teased, offering his arm. Riele rolled her eyes jokingly before taking it. The scent of his cologne sent shivers down her spine, and Jace couldn't help the goosebumps that formed where Riele held his arm.

It was going to be a long night.

* * *

 **Chapter 5! :D To the guest who wanted more Sean, I hope this was okay! I actually loved writing for him. Sean's just so great. xD It will be a long night indeed as I write the next the chapter. xD Drama ahead! Stay tuned. ;)**

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


	6. Party Mistakes

"Thanks, Will!" the gang thanked their limo driver as they stepped out of the vehicle.

They arrived to the party pretty quickly and were already greeted with paparazzi flashing cameras in their faces. They called to the cast of _Henry Danger,_ asking for pictures and gossip.

"How are you dealing with the breakup, Jace?"  
"Are you two getting back together?"  
"Why'd you break up?"  
"Is there a new lady in your life?"

The usual.

The four stood together, smiling for a few pictures and ignoring most of the questions before stepping into Isabela's large house.

To call it large was an understatement.

The house was filled with both familiar and unfamiliar faces. Music from the speakers could be heard from a block away. There was a DJ and even a dance floor, and practically every room in the house had some activity going on. Just then, Maeve greeted them.

"Hey, guys!" she exclaimed. "You guys look great!"

"So do you!" Riele said, giving her friend a hug. She wore a black, fitted, short-sleeve dress, her long, brown hair down and straightened.

"Where's Owen?" Sean asked. Maeve frowned.

"Uh, we actually broke up," she answered. "It just wasn't working out." Jace nudged Sean's shoulder, earning himself a glare from his curly-haired friend.

"I'm sorry," Sean said sincerely. Maeve sighed.

"It's okay. It was mutual." She smiled. Suddenly, _Closer_ by The Chainsmokers started to play. Sean instantly cringed.

"Oh God, I hate this song," he said. Jace laughed. Maeve held a hand to her heart dramatically, her mouth agape.

"What? I love it!" she exclaimed. "C'mon, you're dancing to this song with me."

"Uh, I think I'll pass-"

"Come on!" She grabbed Sean's arm and dragged him to the dance floor. Jace grinned and gave him two thumbs up.

"Aw, they'd be cute together," Riele said. He agreed.

"Where'd Ella go?" he asked. Riele turned to see her friend gone to her surprise. _So much for always being by my side,_ she thought.

"I don't know," she answered.

"Wanna dance?" he asked, a goofy grin on his face.

"Um, I'd rather not-"  
"Come on. You asked me to be your date, didn't you?" She rolled her eyes when he grinned at her cheekily.

"Fine." Riele took Jace's offered hand and the blonde led her to the dance floor. He goofily sang along to the lyrics and bopped to the beat, causing Riele to laugh. She danced along, twirling around when he lifted her hand to spin her. By the end of the song, the two couldn't stop laughing at each others' dancing.

"Wow, nice moves, Ri," he told her when they stepped away from the dance floor.

"I try," she smirked.

"I'll go get you some punch," he told her before heading off. Riele smiled to herself as she went to sit on an empty couch.

"How's it going?" Riele jumped, startled by Ella's sudden appearance next to her. She placed her hand on her chest as she tried to catch her breath.

"Ella! You scared me."  
"Did you tell him yet?"  
"No."  
"Well, when are you?"

Riele looked up to see Jace trying to balance the ladle from the punch bowl to pour it into a cup, and instead spilling it onto the table. He pinched the bridge of his nose in defeat. Riele chuckled to herself.

"Aw, you're _so_ in love with him!" Ella exclaimed as she watched Riele.

"I'm not _in love_ with Jace," she said. "He's just-" She looked up to see Jace now trying to clean up the mess with napkins and somehow creating even more of a mess. She smiled. "He's great. How can I _not_ like him?"

"Exactly! So go tell him," Ella said, trying to push her towards the blonde. Riele stayed put.

"Hey! These parties go on forever. I have time," she stated.

"Fine." Just then, Jace came back, holding a cup of punch in each hand.

"About time," Riele teased, taking the cup.

"Yeah, I was having, uh, a little trouble," he replied. Riele laughed.

"Oh, Ella, did you want some, too?" Jace asked when he noticed her on the couch. Ella held up a hand.

"I'll get it myself." Jace nodded as Riele tried to hold in her laughter, the petite blonde getting up and walking herself to the kitchen.

"So," he started, taking a seat next to Riele. "Having fun?"

"Now that _you're_ here," she answered, nudging his shoulder. The blonde leaned back into the couch, pretending to pop his collar.

"What can I say?" he started. "I'm the life of the party." Riele took a pillow from the couch and threw it at him.

"Hey!"  
"You're incredibly cocky and it's hurting my eyes." Jace scoffed and his costar laughed.

"Looks like Sean's having fun, too," Jace said, nodding towards him and Maeve still on the dance floor.

"Do you think they'll go out?" she asked as she watched the two dance.

"Maybe," he replied. "But they'd be good for each other." Riele looked at Jace, who was still watching their friends dance. She sighed.

"Yeah, they would."

Jace turned to look at Riele. It was then that they both realized their close proximity. They sat side by side, their thighs almost touching. Jace slowly started to lean in, the two never breaking eye contact. The dark-haired girl parted her lips slightly, feeling her heart beating throughout her entire body. Jace looked back and forth from her eyes to her lips, his arm reaching behind her along the couch. _Is this finally happening?_ the blonde thought to himself. They got so close to the point where they were merely inches apart. Riele looked at his lips before her eyes fluttered shut, the blonde tilting his head and closing his eyes, too.

"Hey, guys!"

Jace and Riele jumped apart, moving to opposite ends of the couch. Sean and Maeve had left the dance floor and Maeve went to talk to a friend, leaving Sean to come find his two costars. Jace pressed his fingers to his forehead before greeting him with a wave of two fingers as Riele cleared her throat awkwardly.

"Oh, am I interrupting something?" Sean asked, bringing a hand up to cover his mouth in shock.

"Nope," Jace lied, giving him a look. Sean mouthed an apology as the blonde shook his head.

"Um, I'm going to go find Ella," Riele announced, getting up from the couch and walking away. Jace covered his face in his hands as Sean plopped down onto the couch beside him.

"Sorry, bud," he apologized. Jace chuckled.

"Your timing literally could not have been worse," he said. "But it's okay. I guess this really _is_ a sign." The blonde sighed, leaning his elbows on his knees.

"What? No, come on, man!" Sean exclaimed. "I screwed up, this was _my_ fault. Don't let me get in the way of you guys."

"But this wasn't the first time this happened, Sean. That has to mean something," the blonde replied.

"Third time's a charm?" Sean shrugged, a grin on his face. Jace rolled his eyes, looking to Riele who was now talking to Ella near the dance floor.

"I doubt it." He sighed. Sean shook his head.

Just then, a slow song came on; _Let It Go_ by James Bay. Jace spotted Isabela and Griffin dancing.

"I guess now I should just be trying to get Isabela back," the blonde spoke before getting up.

"Jace," Sean warned. "This isn't right. You belong with Riele."

"Do I?" he shot back. "If I did, wouldn't it have happened by now?" Sean remained quiet. Jace stormed off to find Riele, leaving Sean to just shake his head.

Riele felt a tap on her shoulder, then turned around to meet a smiling Jace.

"May I have this dance?" he asked while offering his hand. Ella nudged her shoulder.

"You may." Riele smiled before taking his hand and being led to the dance floor. She snaked her arms around the blonde's neck and he placed his hands on either side of her waist.

 _From walking home and talking loads_

 _To seeing shows in evening clothes with you_

 _From nervous touch and getting drunk_

 _To staying up and waking up with you_

The two swayed gently to the music, Riele laying her head against his chest.

 _But now we're slipping on the edge_  
 _Holding something we don't need_  
 _All this delusion in our heads_  
 _Is gonna bring us to our knees_

"Jace?" she asked softly.  
"Hmm?"

"There's uh, something I've been meaning to tell you," she spoke slowly, lifting her head to look at him.

"Shoot."

"So, uh, recently we've been spending a lot of time together," she started. "And I've been enjoying it a lot." She looked down and smiled, before noticing that Jace was looking at something else behind her.

 _So come on let it go_  
 _Just let it be_  
 _Why don't you be you,_  
 _And I'll be me?_

"And um," she cleared her throat, trying to get him to look at her. "I know it started just to make Isabela jealous, but I think we've both been getting a little caught up, you know, in moments." Jace still didn't look at her.

"Mhm." She furrowed her eyebrows.

"Jace? What are you-" she was about to turn around before Jace stopped her. The blonde noticed Isabela watching, so he quickly leaned down to kiss Riele.

Riele stiffened at first, before easing into the kiss. It was short, but the feeling of Jace's lips on hers lingered after they parted.

"What was that for?" she asked softly.

"Hmm?" He finally made eye contact with her. Riele turned around to see Isabela watching them with her hands crossed in front of her chest, then stomping away.

"Was that just to make Isabela jealous?" Riele asked, turning back around and taking a step back from the blonde. "Did you just _kiss_ me to make her jealous?"

"Isn't that what we're here for?" he replied confused.

"I can't believe you right now," she said, pressing her fingers to her forehead. "Did you even hear a word of what I was telling you?" The blonde stayed silent.

"That's what I thought. You know what, it's been a fun week, Jace. I almost forgot Isabela was in the picture. But it's clear that you haven't." Riele angrily walked away, not wanting to let Jace see the tears that started to form in her eyes.

"Wait, Riele!" Jace called to her, trying to get past through the crowd of people. He eventually caught up to her, grabbing her wrist and turning her around.

"Let me go!" She yanked her wrist from Jace's grip, fiercely wiping her tears away.

"But I-" the blonde started.

"Just leave me alone." The dark-haired girl ran out the door.

* * *

 **Chapter 6! Sorry for the wait! This chapter took me a while.**

 **Yikes, drama. xD Let me know what you think!**

 **Once again, thanks for reading! Updating soon! :)**


	7. Heartbreak & Regrets

_"I mean, I don't even know you," Ruby told the British boy as the two tangoed. Johnnie suddenly but swiftly pulled her close._

 _"Do you want to?"_

Riele groaned.

It was about half an hour after she had left the party. She called her mother to pick her up, and had since changed into a comfortable black sweatshirt and pajama shorts. She now laid against the headboard of her bed and had put on a movie on her TV across the room.

Riele rolled her eyes at the two love-struck characters, stuffing a hand into the bowl of popcorn beside her.

Just then, Ella came bursting through her bedroom door.

"Riele!" the young blonde called to her, rushing to her side and giving her a hug.

"Are you okay? What happened?" she asked frantically. Riele sighed before explaining the recent events. Ella's jaw dropped.

"He _kissed_ you?!" she exclaimed, standing up abruptly. "To make her jealous?"

"Mhm."  
"Are you sure?"  
"The entire time I was trying to tell him how I felt, he kept looking behind me. I turned around to see Isabela. So, context clues and some common sense led me to that conclusion." Ella paced around the room in anger.

"Plus," Riele continued. "When I asked him if he did that because of Isabela, he was like-" Riele mockingly deepened her voice. "Oh, 'isn't that what we're here for?'" She rolled her eyes as the blonde's widened.

"How _clueless_ can he be?!" Ella exclaimed, pacing around the room. "He's such a jerk!" Ella turned to see Riele looking down, her eyes glossy and sad. She sighed and walked over to her, her face softening.

"Riele," she started, placing a hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" The dark-haired girl sighed.

"I just wish he hadn't led me on," she spoke after a few moments. "Everything we did the past few days, it was fun. It felt real to me." She laid her head on the young blonde's shoulder as tears began to fall down her cheeks. "But I guess it didn't to him."

"Aw, Ri," Ella said while pulling her into a hug.

"And he almost kissed me again before that!" Riele exclaimed into her shoulder. "Isabela wasn't even there then! How can he just do that and then act like it was all for her?" Ella rubbed her back as she listened to her friend rant.

"I don't know," she answered truthfully. "Something seems off here. I don't think Jace is the type of person to do that." Riele lifted her head from Ella's shoulder at the blonde's sudden words.

"Well, I guess he is, because he did do _just_ that," Riele said matter-of-factly. Ella shook her head.

"I know, and what he did was definitely uncalled for, but I still think he liked you." Riele rolled her eyes.

"Can you cut that out? He clearly still has feelings for Isabela. I was basically just there to help him get her back," Riele retorted. Her face fell suddenly.

"I started this. I was the one who showed him the picture she tagged him in, I was the one who brought up the idea to make her jealous. It was all me." The dark-haired girl sniffled, her eyes becoming glossy with tears again. Ella pulled her in for another hug. The two stayed like that for a while, Riele appreciating the comfort of Ella's embrace.

After a few moments, Ella spoke again.

"Let's forget about Jace for now. What movie are we watching?" she asked, changing the subject. Riele scooted over to let Ella onto the bed with her. The young blonde pulled the covers over her legs and took a handful of popcorn. And Riele finally smiled.

* * *

Jace sat in the driver's seat of his car, his head against the steering wheel and his hands holding onto it. He faced down, but his eyes were shut in thought.

"You screwed up, man," Sean told him, sitting in the passenger seat next to him.

Jace abruptly lifted his head and slammed it against the steering wheel repeatedly, until finally pressing his fingers to his forehead and letting out a sigh.

"I know."

 _~Flashback~_

 _"Just leave me alone." Riele left Jace standing confused as she stormed off, wiping away tears that started to fall down her cheeks. The blonde couldn't help but whimper at the realization that_ he _had caused those tears. He didn't know how long he remained there, feeling as if part of his heart had been ripped away from him when his short, dark-haired costar had left from his side, when suddenly he felt a hand touch his shoulder._

 _"C'mon." Jace instantly recognized Sean's voice. "Let's get out of here."_

 _"Sean," he asked softly, turning to meet his best friend's eyes. "I think I just really messed things up Riele." His face fell when Sean shook his head._

 _"No kidding." The curly-haired blonde led Jace out the door and to his car._

The two now sat in Jace's black Camry parked outside Isabela's house, which his brother, Xander, had dropped off earlier for the gang to get home.

"So, Riele _did_ like me, and I was just a blinded asshole who couldn't see it," Jace spoke out loud.

"Basically."  
"And you couldn't tell me this _before_ I went to go dance with her?"  
"I couldn't!" Sean exclaimed. "Ella made me swear not to tell. Plus, if you knew, it would've ruined the moment!"  
"Well it couldn't have been worse than it was!" Jace retorted. Sean cringed.

"Yeah," he said. "You have a point." Jace groaned before slamming his head against the steering wheel again.

"How could I not have seen it?" the blonde asked, lifting his head. "I mean, it's not like she freaking repulsed when I flirted with her. She'd just go along with it. She'd flirt back." He slapped his forehead before facing Sean. "She'd flirt back, Sean! What is wrong with me?!" He slammed his head against the steering wheel again.

"Okay, yes, you're an idiot," Sean responded. "Now stop hurting the Camry." Jace groaned.

"No," he replied, his voice muffled against the steering wheel. "I don't deserve nice things."

"Jace-"

"I don't deserve this car, or this watch, or _you,_ or Riele," the blonde went on. "I don't deserve anything." Sean punched his shoulder.

"Ow!" Jace cried, rubbing his shoulder. "Well, I guess I _did_ deserve _that-"_

"Get it together, Jace!" Sean scolded his friend. "You can't beat yourself up the rest of your life."

"Why not?" Jace asked rhetorically. "Riele was probably one of the best things to ever happen to me, and I basically just let her slip through my fingers."

"And that's exactly why," Sean answered. "You have to fight for the things you want, Jace. You can't just give up."

"She probably never wants to see me again," the blonde stated.

"I highly doubt that," Sean retorted. "She might be mad, yeah-" Jace scoffed before mumbling _'no kidding'_ under his breath. Sean narrowed his eyes at his friend. "But she wouldn't want to let go of something good, just like that." The blonde remained silent in thought, looking out through the front window.

"Just give her some time," Sean continued. "She'll want to talk soon. Besides, we have work tomorrow, so you're going to have to talk to her either way." Jace's eyes widened.

"Oh crap, you're right!" the blonde realized. "We're filming the rest of the episode tomorrow. The one where she and I-"

"Kiss?" Jace nodded. "Yikes."

"Well, now, she'll probably be a little repulsed," Sean mentioned. Jace slammed his head against the steering wheel.

No kidding.

* * *

 **The movie mentioned in the beginning is _High Strung._**


	8. Forgive & Forget?

Riele woke up to her blaring alarm clock beside her bed with a groan. Rubbing her eyes, she got up from her bed and padded to the bathroom.

The dark-haired girl took a look at herself in the mirror. Her eyes were still a bit puffy from all her crying the previous night. She took a deep breath, pulling her hair back into a high ponytail.

After brushing her teeth and washing her face, Riele walked back into her room and to her closet, deciding on what to wear. She pulled out a pair of jeans, then stood contemplating on a shirt. After a while, she plopped onto her bed and sighed.

"I have literally nothing to wear," she mumbled to herself. The petite girl looked around her room in thought, before her eyes landed on a green flannel that was hung on the back of a chair by her desk. She instantly felt her heart drop.

It was Jace's flannel.

She couldn't help but remember that day; waking up in his arms, going on their "date", the sparks she felt go up her arm every time the blonde held her hand. Riele furiously shook her head, then stood up to toss the shirt into her bag, deciding she'd give it back to him when she saw him later (more like throw it in his face.)

The dark-haired girl finally decided on a purple button-down shirt with lace cutouts around her shoulders, then pulled her curly hair back into a half-up half-down style. Slipping on a pair of black combat boots and throwing her bag around her shoulder, she flew down the stairs.

"Morning, mom," she greeted her mother who was making pancakes in the kitchen.

"Morning, sweetie," Elle replied back. "When's Jace coming to pick you up?" The sound of his name stung, causing Riele to cringe.

"Jace isn't coming," Riele answered sternly.

"But I made pancakes for the both-"

"He's not coming, Mom." Elle looked surprised.

"Did something happen?" her mother asked. Riele sighed before explaining the events of the previous night.

"Now that doesn't sound like Jace," Elle spoke after hearing the story. Riele shrugged.

"It's what happened."  
"Did you talk to him after?"  
"Well, no, but-"  
"Listen to what he has to say, sweetie," Elle offered sincerely, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know from how it happened to you, it seems really bad. But I know Jace. That boy wouldn't just do something like that and not feel some type of way." Riele looked down to her plate, fiddling with her fork.

"Do you need a ride to the studio, then?" Elle asked.

"That's okay, I can walk," Riele replied.

"Nonsense," Elle said. "Finish eating and I'll drive you." Riele thanked her. She scarfed down the rest of her pancakes before meeting her mother outside.

The ride to the studio was pretty quiet, besides the slight hum of the car itself. Riele looked out the window in thought. _Maybe she's right,_ the dark haired girl thought.

"Alright," her mother spoke as she pulled into the parking lot. "Have a good day, sweetie."

"Thanks, mom," Riele replied, leaning over to kiss her cheek before stepping out of the car. "Love you!"

"Love you too!" With that, Elle pulled away.

Riele swung her bag over shoulder, walking to the door of the studio. She stopped herself in front of the door and sighed, not yet ready to face her costar.

 _Well, it's now or never._ Riele pushed the door open.

She was on time, even a few minutes early. Most of the cast and crew were there, and she waved to Sean whom she spotted by the set. She was about to walk over to him when she noticed Jace standing next to him. The blonde instantly made eye contact with her, his face showing an expression of guilt. He opened his mouth to say something, then pressed his lips together.

Riele quickly turned away, pretending as if she didn't see him. Luckily, she spotted Ella somewhere a good distance away from the two, and walked over to her.

"Hey," Riele spoke, tapping her shoulder. Ella turned around, a smile forming on her face at the sight of her friend.

"Hey!" she greeted back. "How you feeling?"

"Better," Riele answered honestly. "Although seeing him just now might have kind of messed that up." She shrugged.

"I just hope _this_ doesn't show on camera," Ella said, gesturing to Riele's predicament. The dark haired girl shook her head while placing her hands on her hips.

"Yeah," she replied. "I can barely look at him! How am I supposed to act like his best friend?"

"Don't worry," Ella said. "You even said it. You're _acting._ Remember that. You're Charlotte and he's Henry, and as far as we know, Henry hasn't done anything as jerk-like as Jace has."

"Well-" Riele started.

"Shh! Just, pretend." The two giggled.

"Okay, okay. You're right. It _is_ just acting. Shouldn't be too hard," the dark-haired girl told herself. Ella patted her back.

"Morning, everyone!" Dan called. "It's shooting day! Cast, to your dressing rooms to meet with makeup and design. We're rolling in half an hour! Dismissed!" Everyone bustled around to where they were supposed to go. Ella left after a goodbye, and Riele headed to her dressing room. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her shoulder.

"Riele."

Her heart skipped a beat.

She knew instantly by his voice that it was no other than Jace. She stood still, refusing to turn and meet his gaze.

"What?" she replied harshly.

"Please look at me." The blonde gently pulled her to face him, but Riele didn't budge.

"Riele." The dark-haired girl reluctantly turned, but didn't meet his eyes. Jace placed both his hands on her shoulders.

"Riele, I'm really sorry about last night. I really hope we can put this behind us," he said. Riele finally met his eyes, her eyebrows furrowed in anger.

"Put this behind us?" She shook out of his grasp. "After everything that's happened, you think we can just put this behind us?"

"Well, no, I mean-"

"Save it, Jace," she interrupted, disregarding her mother's words. She was angry, and wanted to say what she had to say. "I get it. You don't feel the same way, you want to go back to being friends, yada yada yada."

"But that's-"

"No. You put me through all that heartbreak, of messing with my feelings, of pretending we had something and making me believe we really did, of _using_ me this entire time just to get her back. Well you know what, Jace? I don't want to be friends. And you can have Isabela. I hope everything we did worked, because it sure worked on me." Her voice cracked on the last word, realizing what she had said. Jace parted his lips, looking for the right words to say.

"Riele-" he started.

"I don't want to hear it," she interrupted. The dark-haired girl turned around and started heading towards her dressing room when she stopped. She opened her bag, pulling out his flannel.

"Here," she turned to throw the shirt at him, landing on the blonde's face. "Give it to Isabela." She turned to walk away before stopping again.

"But it won't look as good as it did on me."

* * *

 **Chapter 8! Sorry for the long wait! I've been really busy the past week, and I'm actually writing this at like 12:30am on a school night lmao. #priorities Hopefully the two chapters make up for it. :P**

 **I thought this was going to be the last chapter, but I decided to add a little more for Riele. She _is_ pretty mad, lol. And build-up chapters are fun. xD**

 **You guys are going to love the next chapter, I guarantee it. :D**

 **Btw, anyone see the last Henry Danger episode? I love how Henry was mocking Charlotte's "look". xD**

 **Thanks for reading! :)**


	9. Take One

Jace stood and sighed, watching Riele as she stormed away from him. He looked down at the flannel in his hands, now radiating her sweet scent.

"Damn," he heard Sean say, whom appeared behind him. "You really have a way with words, Jace." The blonde groaned.

"She won't let me finish, Sean!" Jace exclaimed. "I was going to tell her how I feel about her."

"You know Riele. Don't act surprised," Sean replied simply.

"Well, then when am I supposed to-"

"Jace! Sean!" Nathan called, appearing next to him as he hustled around set. "Get to your dressing rooms!"

"My bad," the blonde apologized. He turned to see Sean already jogging down the hall.

"Thanks for listening, Sean!" he called to his curly haired friend sarcastically.

"Just wait it out, babe!" he called back, turning around. "If it doesn't work out, you still have me!" Jace couldn't help but laugh.

"And what would I do without you?"  
"Exactly."

* * *

 _"And... ACTION!"_

"Kid, you let him get away!" Ray exclaimed as he and Henry stepped out of the tubes, arriving back from a mission.

"What happened?" Jasper asked, walking over to the two.

"Yeah, what did Henry do this time?" Charlotte asked, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She raised her eyebrows at the blonde, who returned a shamed expression.

"It wasn't my fault," Henry mumbled.

"We were trying to catch Drex by surprise," Ray started. "Which would've worked perfectly if Kid Danger over here actually remembered to surprise him!" Ray threw his hands up in frustration.

"He was right in front of you, Henry!" Ray cried. "Why didn't you get him?!"

"I don't know-"

"This is the third time this week you've backed out during a mission! What's gotten into you?"

"I don't know! Alright?" Henry raised his voice, abruptly standing up. Meeting Charlotte's gaze, the blonde spoke. "I don't know."

Jace looked longingly at Riele. At this moment, the blonde couldn't agree more with his character. Neither of them broke eye contact, even when "cut" was called. He took the time to admire his costar's curly locks in its half-up half-down style that was secretly his favorite, and remembered how he used to lay on her shoulder just to annoy her, even though he just used that as an excuse. He noticed the way her arms crossed in front of her chest matched the way she'd do it when he did something stupid, followed by her degrading but intelligent remarks. He saw how her hand was wrapped tightly around one of her arms, remembering the warmth he felt when she held his arm, or when the two held hands. Jace sighed.

He missed her.

"Great job, Jace!" Nathan said, patting the blonde on the back. "Looked practically in love with her." Jace pressed his lips together and nodded.

"Okay everyone, take 5!"

Riele quickly walked off set, trying to distract herself from her rapid heartbeat and warm cheeks. _That was Henry, that was Henry,_ she repeated in her mind. Suddenly, she bumped into Ella.

"Whoa, there," Ella said, catching herself from hitting Riele. "Someone's out of it."

"Did you see that?" Riele asked the blonde, moving her aside from everyone else.

"See what?"

"Okay, never mind," Riele answered, breathing out a sigh of relief.

"You mean the way Jace stared deeply into your eyes, expressing his hidden but undeniable love for you?" Riele groaned.

"So it _was_ noticeable?" Riele asked. Ella nodded.

"Even Nathan mentioned it," Ella noted. Riele slapped her forehead.

"What am I supposed to do, Ella?" Riele asked the young girl. "I keep telling myself, 'Riele, that boy did you dirty and you deserve better,' but-" Riele stopped herself mid-sentence, not wanting to admit what she knew was true.

"But you still like him," Ella finished for her. Riele sighed.

"Maybe you should talk to him, Ri," Ella spoke gently.

"But I have-"

"I mean _actually_ talk to him," Ella interrupted. "Not just yell at him. You have to let him get a word in." Riele rolled her eyes.

"Back to set!" Dan called.

"I'll think about it," she replied before walking back to the Man Cave.

"Alright everyone," Dan started. "Now it's time for the edited Henry and Charlotte scene. Jace, Riele." He gestured the two to come near him. "Alright, you guys, this is a very big scene for your characters. Really bring it out, got me?" Jace and Riele nodded. "Great."

The two moved to the middle of the Man Cave, near the couch.

"Alright everybody! Scene eight, take one, and... action!"

"Are you crazy?" Henry exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. "Drex is bad news, Charlotte. You know this."

"I'm aware," she replied, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "But Ray says you guys need me to hack the power and initiate the blast, so I'm doing it."

"Oh, so just because your boss tells you to do something, you do it?" he asked. Charlotte gave him a look.

"Yes." Henry rolled his eyes, letting out a _pfft._

"Whatever," he spoke. "You've never been on a mission before and you're not about to come on _this_ one with Drex." Henry crossed his arms in front of his chest.

"Excuse me?" Charlotte said angrily. "I actually _have_ been on a mission before."

"And how'd that turn out?"

"I didn't get hurt, did I?"

"Well, that wasn't even a mission-mission." Charlotte rolled her eyes.

"It doesn't matter. I'm _going_ ," Charlotte said sternly. Henry sighed.

"Charlotte, you're not coming."  
"Yes, I am."  
"Why must you be like this?" Henry raised his voice, taking a step towards her. "Can't you just listen to me? For _once?_ Believe it or not, you're not _always_ right, Charlotte. You going on this mission is _wrong_."

"It's not wrong," she took a step towards him. "I'm going to _help_ you! Isn't that why I got this job? To help you guys? Why won't you just let me do my job?"

"I didn't think you'd ever have to leave the freaking monitors!" Henry exclaimed.

"Oh, so I'll just always belong by the monitors, on the sidelines. That's what you think of me? Some side character to your 'superhero' job?" she asked accusingly.

"No, Charlotte, that's not-"

"Then what is it, Henry? Do you not want me to come with you? Are you worried I'll get in between yours and Ray's 'special bond'?"

"What? No!" Henry groaned, turning around and throwing his hands in the air in frustration.

"So what is it?!" Charlotte exclaimed, walking towards Henry to face him. "What are you so worried about?!" she exclaimed.

"You, Charlotte!" he yelled while taking a step towards her. His face softened when he noticed the shocked look on her face. She had never heard him raise his voice at her like that before. He took a step back, clearing his throat.

"I'm just-" the blonde ran a hand through his hair, sending goosebumps up Riele's arm. _Probably just a draft,_ the dark-haired girl told herself, once again trying to ignore the quickening of her heart rate. "I'm worried something will happen to you, and-" his voice cracked. Henry tightly shut his eyes, not wanting to even speak of the possibility. He sighed.

"I can't lose you, Char." Riele looked up into his sincere eyes, searching for a sign that there was even a _hint_ of what she was looking for.

"You won't," she spoke softly after a moment.

"If you get hurt-" he started.

"Nothing will happen," she said slowly, placing a hand on the blonde's shoulder.

"You don't know that."

"I do," she said in almost a whisper. "Because I'll have _you_ by my side." She brought her hand down to grab hold of his, their fingers instantly finding themselves intertwined, as if they belonged there. Jace looked at her with sad eyes.

"And I won't let anything happen to you _,_ either," she finished. She gave the blonde a soft smile.

Jace looked down at the girl in front of her, his gaze darting back and forth from her eyes to her lips. He felt taken back to the two previous times he found himself in this same situation. He found Riele looking at his lips, too, her own slightly parted. His breathing quickened, and it was then he realized it was _actually_ happening this time, and he mentally cursed himself for this moment to have been scripted, despite it feeling real to him. Nevertheless, he slowly closed his eyes, tilting his head as he inched his lips towards hers.

Riele's breath caught in her throat. She remained still, motionless against the realization of what was about to happen. Before Jace was able to touch his lips with hers, she backed away abruptly.

Gasps were heard amongst the audience of the crew and cast. Her head was pounding along with her heart, her hands trembling due to the sudden rush of emotions. She couldn't even get herself to meet eyes with the blonde still in front of her.

"Riele," Dan said. "Are you okay?" She slowly started backing away, looking at the faces staring at her.

"I-I'm," she stuttered. "I'm sorry." With that, she ran off set and towards her dressing room. Jace immediately took off after her.

"Cut," Dan sighed.

* * *

 **Chapter 9! Woo, this was fun to write at 2:30 in the morning. xD**

 **What'd you think? Let me know!**

 **As always, thanks for reading! Updating soon. :)**


	10. Take Two

Riele ran down the hall as fast as her short legs could take her, letting the tears that had been building up in her eyes fall down her cheeks. She could hear Jace's footsteps from behind her echoing through the hall.

"Riele!" the blond called after her. She didn't look back.

After finally reaching her dressing room, the dark-haired girl slammed the door behind her, quickly turning the lock just as Jace had gotten to her door.

"Riele!" he called, knocking his first against her door. "C'mon, Ri, open the door."

"Just leave me alone," Riele called back from inside. She brought a hand up to cover her mouth, stifling her sobs.

"I'm not leaving you," Jace replied. He sighed before leaning his forehead against her door. "I'm not making that same mistake again." Riele breathed in sharply at his words. The blond stayed silent, hoping to hear her voice. When she didn't speak, Jace turned and slid his back against the closed door until he reached the floor, stretching his legs out in front of him. Hearing shuffling from the other side, he guessed she had sensed his movements and was now doing the same. He grinned slightly at the cliché-ness of their situation.

"So," he started. "How's the weather like over there?" Riele let out a laugh through her nose, sending a smile across the blond's face.

"Stop trying to make me laugh," she spoke softly. "I'm supposed to be mad at you." Jace lit up at the sound of her voice, straightening his back.

"Guess it's pretty cold, then?" he asked looking up at the ceiling, his head leaning against the door. "You know, with the whole cold shoulder you're giving me from the other side of this door." Riele rolled her eyes.

"Freezing."  
"Bummer. If only you'd open the door, I could give you my hoodie," he persuaded. "It's warm, and fuzzy-"  
"Are you sure you wouldn't rather give it to Isabela?" There was an expected harshness to her tone, nonetheless leaving a stinging pain in Jace's chest.

"Why would I?" he then asked nonchalantly. "I mean, you _did_ say it yourself; you look way better in my clothes than, well, anyone actually." Jace paused, listening for the dark-haired girl's awaited reply. "But, not better than me, of course," he added, seeing if his teasing words would get a response from his costar. Riele remained silent, reacting to his failed attempt of starting conversation by rolling her eyes. The blond sighed.

"Riele," Jace started, sliding his hands across his thighs over his black jeans. "I didn't mean what happened out there."

"When? The time you invited me out just to make Isabela jealous, or the time you _kissed me,_ also to make Isabela jealous?" she asked sarcastically. "Or how about that time you asked if we could-" she mockingly deepened her voice, "'just put this behind us'? As if this is something you actually believe can just be disregarded like that." Riele crossed her arms in front of her chest, clearly annoyed. Jace ran a hand through his hair, taking in how much he had royally messed up.

"All of it," he answered truthfully. "I didn't mean any of it." Riele huffed, not pleased at his lame attempt at an apology. Jace hesitated before speaking again.

"But I did mean it when I held your hand at lunch the other day." Riele perked up a bit at this, straightening her back, but still keeping her arms crossed in front of her.

"And I meant to have almost kissed you that night at Isabela's party, before Jasper interrupted us. I meant that; I didn't do it because Isabela could've been watching us and it would've made her jealous. I did it because being so close to you and seeing how beautiful you were-" he stopped mid-sentence, looking for the right words. "It was as if everything else going on was set on pause, and it was just us." Jace paused again. Riele had been intently listening, her heart rate quickening at the blond's words. "I didn't even think that we were at Isabela's at the moment," he added. "All I was thinking about was you, and how badly I wanted to kiss you." Riele's heart skipped a beat when he said this, her eyes widening. He stood up from his spot on the floor to face the door.

"I mean it when I say how happy you make me when you stay over, or when I'm leaning on you, or whenever you're near me in general. I mean it when I say my heart races a mile faster when you're around, or when I hear your laugh, or see your beautiful smile." Riele stood up, laying a hand hesitantly on the doorknob.

"I mean it when I say your sarcasm and smart remarks ironically make my day. I mean it when I say I wake up every morning excited to see you. I mean it when I say you're constantly on my mind." Jace leaned his elbow against the door in front of him, ducking his head beneath his arm. He breathed in deeply before speaking softly.

"I mean it when I say that I'm in love with you, Riele."

Riele turned the knob, much to Jace's surprise, and opened the door. He sucked in a breath at the sight of her; her tear-stained cheeks, her reddened eyes, her slightly tousled curly hair.

He wondered how she still managed to look so beautiful.

"You're in love with me?" she asked, her voice quiet and her eyes wide. Jace scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Yeah," he replied, a blush forming on his cheeks. He feared she would slam the door in his face again.

"Then why have you been trying to make Isabela jealous? Why didn't you just tell me?" she asked curiously, her voice cracking slightly. Jace almost whimpered, feeling the familiar pang in his chest at the sound of her so heartbroken and vulnerable. He sighed, running a hand through his hair.

"I was scared." Riele raised her eyebrows.

"Scared? Of what? Me?"

"Well, no, not you, specifically-"

"Then what? Am I _that_ embarrassing?"

"What? Riele, you literally just heard me confess my love to you in the most cheesiest speech ever. Are you seriously asking if I think you're embarrassing?" Riele shrugged.

"Then what were you scared of?"

"Rejection! Okay?" Jace admitted, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "I was scared of rejection. I was scared that you'd think I was joking, or that you'd say no because it would ruin our friendship or something, like how you said Henry and Charlotte's would." Riele gaped slightly, remembering the day she had indeed spoken those words.

"Jace," she started, taking a step toward him. "You should've told me. I didn't mean to put what I said about Henry and Charlotte into your head." Jace pressed his lips together.

"But you still should've told me. If anything, you've brought me out of that mindset, of friends not meant to be in a relationship," she continued. She then hesitated, causing Jace to fill with anxiety and anticipation.

"Because I'm in love with you, too." Jace grinned, letting out a breath he didn't realize he was holding and wrapping his arms around her waist to pull her closer, causing her to laugh.

"You know," she started, wrapping her arms around the blond's neck. "You could've done what they do in the TV shows and have brought it up in a 'I have a friend who has a crush but doesn't know how to tell her' kind of thing. I would've known who you were talking about, obviously, because I'm not an idiot. But if I didn't like you, I would've played along, and you wouldn't have had to face rejection." Jace rolled his eyes, sending Riele into another fit of laughter.

"Always have a better idea, don't you?"

"Always." The two laughed before Jace brought his hands to her cheeks and kissed her.

Although lacking in anticipation, they both could agree that this was long awaited for. Jace smiled against her lips, happy to have finally had his moment with her. Her lips were soft and she tasted like strawberries, he concluded. His eyes crinkled the way they did when he smiled ever so happily.

Jace's lips were soft against hers. She mentally laughed at the way he smiled while he kissed her, the goofy but sweetness to it sending a warm feeling down her spine. He tasted like his minty toothpaste, and his hands on her cheeks covered the evident blush underneath.

 _Finally,_ she thought.

They remained pressed together until the sound of Dan speaking into his megaphone startled them apart.

"Jace and Riele back to set, please."

The two stared at each other, flushed and red-cheeked before they both burst into laughter.

"Shall we, Charlotte?" Jace asked dramatically, offering her his hand. Riele stared at his outstretched hand, taken aback to this same situation they had a few days ago at lunch. She grinned before taking his hand.

"You're still a dork."

The two walked back to set hand in hand, Dan lighting up at the sight of his two stars back in each other's good graces.

"Alright, everybody!" he announced, gesturing everyone to get in place.

Jace and Riele positioned themselves back in the Man Cave. The blond sent her a goofy grin, earning himself a playful eye-roll from Riele.

"Okay, scene twenty-five, take two!" Dan announced.

"And...ACTION!"

* * *

 **AHH the final chapter omg. Sorry for the wait! Again I'm writing this into the wee hours of the morning (I always get the urge to write when I'm supposed to be asleep. :P)**

 **But wait! There's more. ;) Lmao I'm going to be writing an epilogue! I decided I wanted to write a little about their new relationship. :) Can never get too much of these two. (At least, I can't. xD)**

 **Thank you to everyone who has been reading so far, you're all amazing and rad and I love you.** ️ **:D**

 **As always, thanks for reading! Epilogue coming soon!**


	11. Epilogue

"Cut! That's a wrap, everybody!" Dan shouted.

It was 4pm on a Friday, one week after Jace and Riele had gotten together and resolved their issues. Filming of the _Henry Danger_ episode they had been working on was finally complete. Since they were only finishing up the last few scenes, shooting didn't take too long that day. With the final wrap of the episode, many crew members were rushing off set to get home and enjoy the weekend or congratulating each other on the work of the episode.

Meanwhile, Jace was searching the crowd for a certain vertically challenged female.

Suddenly, the blond felt a pair of arms wrap around his torso from behind him.

"It's your favorite person ever!" Riele exclaimed jokingly from behind him. Jace chuckled, nudging out of her embrace.

"Sean?" he asked excitedly, turning around. "Oh, it's just you." His petite girlfriend narrowed her eyes at him, crossing her arms in front of her chest. Jace laughed before placing his hands on her cheeks.

"I'm just kidding," he said softly, nonetheless earning himself an eye-roll. He chuckled before leaning down closer to her face. "Come here-"

"He's not kidding," Sean spoke while stepping forward between the two. Jace reluctantly dropped his hands and rolled his eyes.

"Come on, Sean," Jace complained jokingly. Riele laughed.

"I don't want to see _that_ on set! Go somewhere!" Sean said.

"But it was just-" Jace spoke.

"Nah, Sean's right," Riele interrupted. "No kiss for you." Jace groaned, sending Riele into another fit of laughter.

"Yeah, no kissing on set!" yelled Nathan as he walked by. The three burst into laughter.

"Alright, lovebirds," Sean started, latching his arms around the twos' shoulders. "I gotta get going. Don't have too much fun, and don't miss me too much!" The curly-haired blond rubbed his fists in their hair, giving them each a noogie and causing them to laugh.

"Stop it, Sean!" Riele cried while still laughing, trapped in his grip. When he finally let go, they bid their goodbyes, and Sean headed out the door.

"So," Jace spoke when the two were left alone, nonchalantly swinging an arm around the petite's shoulder.

"So," she repeated as they walked out the doors of the studio. "Where are we going?"

"That depends," he replied. "Hungry?" They approached his black Camry before Riele answered.

"Very."  
"Good, me too."  
"So where are we going to eat?"  
"You'll see."  
"Jace, I don't want ice cream again."  
"We're not getting ice cream."  
"I don't want grilled cheese again, either."  
"Not so reminiscent of our first date, huh?"  
"Jace-" The blond playfully rolled his eyes.  
"Just trust me."

Riele was suddenly taken aback by his words, remembering when Henry had said the same to Charlotte back in season one, after she had gotten a job working for Captain Man. They had only been kids back then. She looked at the goofy blond in front of her and smiled, realizing how far they had come. Jace looked at her suspiciously.

"What?" he asked her, confused. Instead of explaining, she wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him, the way Charlotte had done after Henry's orders. Jace involuntarily wrapped an arm around her, but it still took him a moment to comprehend. He then looked down to see her grinning up at him, causing the blond to laugh in realization.

"Up the tube," he joked softly. She sighed before leaning her head against his chest, gripping him tighter. Jace moved to wrap both his arms around her, kissing her forehead before gently laying his chin upon her head. He sighed in content, appreciating just how well the two fit together. It was then he knew how much the girl he held meant to him, and that this was actually what being in love felt like.

Whenever the blond was with her, he always felt he was at his most. Being with Riele made him feel the most happy, the most excited, the most loved. To put it simply, Jace truly felt like a better person around her.

And he wouldn't want to get that feeling with anyone else.

"I love you," he said quietly all of a sudden. Riele looked up at Jace from her spot against his chest to meet his soft gaze, then reached up on her tiptoes to peck his lips.  
"I love you, too." She grinned before releasing herself from his grasp.

"So, food. Where? Tell me," she said quickly, stepping into his car.

"Patience, child," he joked while fastening his seat belt in the drivers seat. Riele groaned as he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the road, swatting his offered hand away when he tried to hold hers. It was a normal occurrence for them to hold hands, sometimes even involuntary. But today in particular, Riele was hungry, tired, and slightly squeamish.

"Keep both hands on the wheel, I don't need you killing me before I get to eat," she spat jokingly, crossing her arms in front of her and slouching into her seat. Jace gaped sarcastically, faking hurt.

"I am genuinely offended that you still distrust my driving skills," he replied. Riele giggled in response. She then rolled down the windows and connected her phone to the Bluetooth speaker of Jace's car.

"Sorry for making it so hot in here, babe," she heard the arrogant voice of her boyfriend say, sending her a wink. Riele rolled her eyes.

"You're so full of yourself." Jace shrugged, too caught up in dancing to the song that started playing to listen to his girlfriend's remarks.

" _Baby, it's you! You're the one I love, you're the one I need!_ " the blond belted out to her dramatically as Beyoncé's _Love On Top_ played. Riele brought a hand up to cover her mouth, trying to stifle her laughter. She couldn't resist pulling out her phone to record the moment and post it to Snapchat, grinning when she remembered this same thing happening a few weeks ago. The dark-haired girl captioned the video with " _the loml everybody_ " before adding it to her story.

"Always surprising me, Hannah Montana," she teased after Jace's show was over.

"Dammit, how'd you find out?" The two chuckled after the joke before falling into a comfortable silence, the only noise being the low volume of Riele's playlist. She leaned her elbow against the window, resting her head onto the palm of her hand to watch their surroundings as they drove by. The sun had fallen under the horizon, setting an alluring, dark tone to the sky and accentuating the already-lit-up city.

Rolling to a red light, Jace took the opportunity to admire the beauty to his right. The dark-haired girl's soft curls in his favorite half-up half-down style flew back in the breezes of Los Angeles' evening atmosphere, the lights from the city and street lamps casting a mesmerizing glow to her face. She wore an expression of contentment and serenity, but her eyes somehow still managed to twinkle in the inspiring way they always did, and that he always noticed. Jace unconsciously bit his lip in astonishment.

He couldn't believe he could call her his.

"It turned green, lover-boy," Riele spoke, not moving her gaze from out the window and suddenly making the honking of cars behind them perceptible to the blond. Jace quickly turned to face the road and stepped on the gas pedal, setting them into motion again. An inevitable blush of embarrassment became apparent on the blond's face, contrary to the smirk that formed on Riele's.

And she pretended not to notice the quickening of her heart rate when she felt Jace's eyes on her.

Soon enough, the two pulled into the parking lot of a fairly small, neon-signed building.

"We're going bowling?" Riele asked, a grin becoming visible on her face as she unfastened her seatbelt.

"Yup," Jace replied, stepping out the of the car. "I figured we deserved something a little fun, and the pizza here's the best." Riele smiled as she took his hand and they walked into the building.

"Good thinking, Norman," she responded happily. "But you picked the wrong opponent. I'm _so_ going to whoop your ass at this." Jace laughed.

"I doubt it," he replied as they reached the counter.

"Hi, can I get your shoe sizes, please?" the teenager in uniform behind the counter greeted. Jace read her name tag; Jane.

"Yeah, can I get a nine and a negative two and a half for the girl-"

"Uh, excuse me!" Riele interrupted as Jace started to laugh. She bumped his hip to push the blond away.

"I'll take a _five-_ " she glared at the boy standing away from her, "please." Jane laughed as she went to get the pairs of shoes.

"Is my size a joke to you?" she whispered to her boyfriend in an accusatory tone. Jace couldn't help but laugh.

"No, babe, I was just kidding," he said between fits of laughter. Riele glared at him.

"Okay," Jane called as she walked back to the counter. "We have our nine and five. Anything else?"

"Can I place an order for a pepperoni pizza in twenty minutes?" Jace asked, pulling out his wallet.

"Sure." Jane placed the order, giving him the price. Jace paid, and the two thanked her before heading off to the lanes. Jane quickly pulled Riele back.

"You better beat him," she whispered jokingly. Riele laughed.

"Trust me. There's no competition."

"Hey!" Jace exclaimed. The girls giggled.

The bowling alley was undoubtedly full of people, most being teenagers and a few were competing groups. There were bright lights and monitors distributed throughout the place, music sounding from the speakers. Jace and Riele walked towards the more quiet and clear side of the alley.

"No competition, huh?" he nudged her when they reached an empty lane.

"Not any that I can see," she replied, pretending to search the room. Jace rolled his eyes.

"You're on."

The two set up their duel on the monitor above, Jace being set to start. The blond went over and picked up a bowling ball, then walked to the start of the lane.

"Let me show you how it's done," he said with a smirk. Tossing the ball into the lane, he knocked down eight out of the ten pins, then completed his turn with a spare.

"A spare on the first try," he said, walking back to his girlfriend who was seated at the bench. "Pretty impressive, wouldn't you say?" Riele smiled apologetically.

"I wouldn't pat yourself too hard on the back yet, honey." She patted his head before picking up a ball and walking over to the lane. Jace scoffed.

"I doubt you can beat _that_ on your first try," he called to her. Riele snickered. Tossing back the ball, it released from her fingers, rolling down the lane smoothly before hitting the pins right front and center and knocking them all down in a perfect strike.

"Well," she spoke, walking back to Jace who sat perplexed, mouth agape. "Still doubtful?" Jace stared at her. Riele laughed.

"What? Embarrassed, are we?" she asked jokingly. Jace looked down and shook his head, smiling in shock before looking at her.

"You never cease to amaze me," he breathed. Riele laughed, a blush forming on her cheeks.

The two went back and forth for the next twenty minutes until their pizza arrived. They thanked the server before sitting down to eat and take a break from their game.

"So," Riele spoke before taking a bite out of a slice. "Ninety-eight to ninety-two. You're losing, Norman."

"Yes, thank you, Captain Obvious," he replied, mid-chew. Riele giggled.

"Don't worry, there's a still a while to go so-" Riele stopped mid-sentence when her eyes suddenly widened at something behind Jace.

"Ri?" Jace asked his girlfriend. "Is something wrong...?" He followed her gaze and turned around, searching for what could have possibly stolen her attention.

And that's when he spotted Isabela and Griffin.

The pair had just entered the bowling alley, Isabela's arm latched onto Griffin's.

The blond instinctively rolled his eyes before turning back around to face his now annoyed girlfriend. He smiled before taking her hand, bringing her attention away from his ex's presence.

"Riele," he started. "We have had an amazing day so far, and no one is going to ruin that."

"Did she know we were here?" Riele asked suddenly, a look of fear in her eyes. "Is this- is this another-"

"I only have eyes for you." Riele sighed, looking down. Jace couldn't help but feel responsible for her uncertainty and lack of trust. If he had just been upfront with his feelings in the first place, he never would have put her in this state of doubt and vulnerability. He sighed as he pondered how to prove that he meant what he had said.

"Are they watching?" he asked. Riele looked up in confusion at the abruptness of his tone.

"No-"

"Good." Jace stood up, took Riele's face in his hands and pressed his lips to hers.

The dark-haired girl was hesitant at first, but responded when he didn't pull away. She brought her tense hands down loosely to her sides, then placed them on the blond's waist. Her face felt warm under Jace's touch, her heart pacing faster the longer they stayed together. All feelings of doubt were vanished as a smile formed on her face against his lips, and their lips moved slowly together in sync.

They didn't know how long they stayed like that until the blond slowly pulled away, leaning his forehead against hers. Riele grinned.

"Alright," she said softly, still pressed against him. "I believe you." Jace smiled.

"Okay!" she exclaimed suddenly, jolting away and moving back to their bowling lane, leaving Jace to stumble from her swiftness. "Back to our game." Jace chuckled before heading towards her.

* * *

"Told you you picked the wrong opponent."

It was 11:30pm and the two were back in Jace's Camry. Riele had undoubtedly won their bowling match, awarding herself with much anticipated pride and bragging rights, along with a head-hanging boyfriend and a coupon for a free round of bowling next time from Jane.

"Whatever," Jace pouted from behind the steering wheel. Riele laughed.

"Aw, don't worry, Jace. You'll win next time against Sean." Jace rolled his eyes playfully as Riele let out another laugh.

"Okay, okay, are you done?" Jace asked. Riele nodded mid-laughter, clutching her chest. The blond shook his head as he waited for his girlfriend's pride to shrink.

"So," he finally asked. "My place? Can you stay over? Unless you want to go home."

"I can stay over today," she replied. "Mom's working late, but Reiya's home so it should be fine. I'll just let them know." The blond nodded, turning his attention back to the road.

The car was filled again with comfortable silence between the two and their sleepless city until they were soon pulling up into Jace's driveway.

"My parents are home," Jace noted. "And so is Xander. So, you know, just a heads up." Riele chuckled.

"Gotcha."

The blond pulled his keys from his pocket and unlocked the door. Before turning the knob, Riele wrapped her arms around his waist, engulfing him in an embrace.

"Thanks for tonight, Jace," she said softly. Jace smiled, squeezing her back. A moment later, the two were welcomed by Jace's parents, who were heading upstairs.

"Hi kids!" his dad exclaimed before yawning. Jace greeted his parents, followed by Riele. His mom surprised Riele with a hug. After making polite small talk, they bid goodnight and headed up the stairs.

"I'm really tired," Riele said after his parents had went upstairs. Jace agreed, letting out a yawn.

"I'll just shower real quick," he spoke while picking up his bag. "You can meet me upsta- Riele!" The dark haired girl had pranced up the stairs, racing to get to the bathroom first. The blond chased after her, reaching to his bathroom just after she had shut the door.

"Again? Seriously?" he asked from behind the door.

"Last one up's a rotten egg!" she called back. Jace rolled his eyes, but letting out a smile nonetheless at her ridiculousness.

Shortly after, Riele stepped out of the bathroom in one of Jace's tee's and a pair of cotton leopard-printed pajama pants, then padded over to her spot on the bed. Crawling underneath the covers, she quickly got comfortable and sat up against the headboard. Grabbing her phone from the bedside table, she didn't notice the blond smiling at her nearby.

"What?" she asked surprised.  
"Have I ever told you how you cute you are in my clothes?" Riele flustered, a blush forming on her cheeks from the unexpected comment.

"Yes," she responded, grinning cheekily. "Now go bathe, you dork."

Jace soon crawled into bed while yawning after coming out of the shower in a grey t-shirt and black Adidas sweatpants.

Propping up to lean on Riele's shoulder, he asked, "Whatcha doin'?" She laughed at his goofiness.

"Stalking you," she answered, flashing his Instagram page that was on her screen.

"Aw, I'm flattered," he said sarcastically. Riele nudged him with her shoulder.

"You post me way too often," she said with a smile. The two looked through his timeline, reminiscing on the times they've shared even before they started dating.

"I like to show you off," he replied. "And claim you at the same time." Riele scoffed before cuddling into his side, tapping back into her own feed. Jace soothingly drew small circles on her waist with his thumb, feeling her relax against his body. He hummed in content before he suddenly felt her stiffen in his arms.

"Ri?" he asked sofly. "Is everything okay?" The dark-haired girl made no response but to hold her phone up to the blond, showing him the screen. Jace looked down to see Isabela had posted a picture of her and Griffin out bowling a few hours ago.

"Why are you-"  
"She tagged you," she sighed. "Again."

Jace took a look at the picture to see she was right; yet again was he tagged in one of his ex's photos with her new boyfriend.

But he couldn't care less.

The blond took the phone out of his girlfriend's hands, shut it off, and set it on the bedside table.

"Who cares?" he then asked, rubbing her shoulder to get her to relax again. "'Cause I don't." Riele perked up, sending him a smile before easing back into his arms, laying in bed.

Soon enough, she was drifting to sleep, a smile still plastered against her face. Jace looked down, admiring the girl in his arms, before falling asleep with a grin.

The two were together, finally.

And he was grateful for his shot at a take two.

* * *

 **Here it is! The end of** _ **Take Two.**_ **I hope you enjoyed if you made it this far!**

 **Thank you all for your patience when it came to this epilogue! I know it took a while, with finals and everything, a girl's been busy. But I had to finish this, and I hope it fulfilled your Jace/Riele feels! I wanted this chapter to just be centered around their relationship, because I know I wish I got to see how the two interacted more in real life lol.**

 **Thanks again for all your support and feedback! Every follow, favorite, review, or even if you just read it, means a lot to me. I really appreciate all of your feedback and couldn't have made this story without you! Here's to Henry and Charlotte becoming endgame on the show and Jace and Riele interacting more in real life because Riele suddenly gets repulsed whenever Jaele is brought up and subtle interactions might be all we get. xD 3**


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